Monthly Archives: September 2013

In summer, tomatoes occupy a very prominent spot in the produce section of local grocery stores. We have seen tomatoes in varying sizes and colors in recent years; orange and yellow ones besides typical red and green tomatoes.

Tiny cherry tomatoes, misshapen but lovely heirloom tomatoes, palm-sized plum tomatoes…. These tomatoes are so enjoyable not only for dishes but also as a snack.

Here is a picture of a various tomatoes in the glass bowl we arranged. What? There is a tomato with a face!

This is the “amigurumi” tomato made by the doll creator mimiwn. In fact it was only tomatoes mimiwn could enjoy while she had fallen ill and almost lost her sense of taste.

Thank you, tomato!
The “amigurumi” tomato was created with mimiwn’s sincere appreciation. The tomato with lovely cobalt-blue eyes look smiling or even prim.

“Hey tomato, can I carry you as a lucky charm or a key chain for my bag, so I can survive the hot summer?”

(*)The word is derived from a combination of Japanese words “ami” and “nuigurumi”. “nuigurumi” means stuffed doll but it refers to sewn fabric items. “ami” means crocheted or knitted. That is, an “amigurumi” is a crocheted or knitted doll.

It is a bag that is the most popular item of handcrafted projects. A tote bag, a granny bag, a bucket bag…. Whenever you see a new fabric, you contemplate your next bag project, don’t you?

The bag in the above picture is made by the knitting textile artist kupu. Guess what the open weave bag is made from?

The answer is selvage of denim! It is the left-over parts during the manufacturing process of jeans.

“This selvage-woven bag is a little heavy because of its material, but it is popular with both men and women.” kupu says.

The good balance between the outer coarse weave and the self-effacing lining makes the bag fashionable. The leather handles gives the bag more style.

Knitted bags, which are her main products to make a living, have many devoted followers due to the unique coloration called “kupu-color”.

“Could it be anything for my next project?” Keeping such a thought, the curious kupu is always on the lookout for anything around her. This selvage “woven” denim textile was generated by a knitting artist and it is now used as a major material for bags.

Getting away for a while from your routines… To do so, you may get a new idea or inspiration you have never had before.

Watching people walking by, it seems more ladies are choosing dresses to wear during the summer. Some are in cashe-coeur style dresses with plunging necklines, and the other is in a lovely ribbon waist style. In summer, you may coordinate a straw bag or a pair of sandals with your clothes. While you complain about the humid and hot summer, the dresses give you more options to enjoy dressing up.

The illustrator Miki Ono loves solid white dresses. Because dresses can be more utilized during the summer, her wardrobe is lined with the “apparently-same but not-same” white dresses.

Among her “subtly different” dresses, the most conspicuous one is what you see here in the picture. “To be honest with you, I made it with a bed sheet. Since the white dress itself was so boring, I added illustrations around the hem!”

The red, pink and yellow flowers are happily “dancing” in the white field as if they were about to chat.

With a little time and effort, you can create your own original items. Sampling Ono’s dress, should I try sewing clothes with a previously used bed sheet? By adding illustration as she did, stains on the sheet can be hidden, I guess!!

What do you think of such an idea for making the unique dress as your kids’ free homework project this summer?

echino was featured in our very first Textile Story, and today we are happy to present echino’s newest collection, ni-co. The concept behind this line is “unisex.” The design was inspired by simple motifs and a limited use of colors. Carrying on echino’s distinct color scheme, the repeated single motif creates ni-co’s unique character. The color combination gives variation to its look and versatility.

echino’s designer, Estuko Furuya says, “Whatever the project, I recommend choosing a simple shape and design. For example, classis items like tote bags or plain small square bags would be perfect. You can also combine it with leather to make a bag or cushion cover. It would be nice to create a gift for men, who are new to design print fabrics like ni-co.”

scooter-b JG-99700_700 cotton/linen canvas

With a slightly retro look, Scooter’s design may be suitable for men. But by combining different colors, its color variation could generate a cute and stylish look. You can also be creative using the bias pattern on the side.

Once again, we are happy to introduce a story on nunokara, a series of KOKKA original fabrics. Its inspiration comes from the world of fairy tales with different artistic styles. For today’s article, we selected Rotkappachen (Little Red Riding-Hood). Yes, it’s the story where grandma gets eaten by a big bad wolf! The popular story for children is recreated with an etched-style graphic for grown-up tastes.

Fabric print panel F101-1 Cotton broadcloth *Organic Cotton

A large etched-style graphic of Little Red Riding-Hood is quite eye catching. A wide lace motif at the edge creates an antique feel. You can use the Riding-Hood graphic as a cut-out and each scene of the story is perfect for making bags and cushions. The uniform color combination makes it easy to mix patterns and designs to create a stylish bag.